Insomnia Disorder
Insomnia disorder involves persistent difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep or returning to sleep, despite adequate opportunity, together with meaningful daytime impact.
More than a few bad nights
Daytime effects can include fatigue, poor concentration, irritability, low mood, reduced performance and worry about sleep itself. The harder someone tries to force sleep, the more alert the system may become. Spending long periods awake in bed, irregular schedules and compensating with naps can unintentionally maintain the cycle.
Assessment
A clinician reviews sleep timing, duration, habits, daytime consequences, medicines, caffeine or substance use, physical health and mental health. Other sleep disorders—including sleep apnoea, restless legs, circadian rhythm problems and parasomnias—may require medical or sleep-specialist assessment. A sleep diary can provide useful evidence; consumer trackers cannot diagnose a sleep disorder.
Treatment
Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is the recommended first-line treatment for chronic insomnia in adults. It combines education with methods that strengthen the bed–sleep connection, stabilise timing and address unhelpful beliefs and behaviours. It is more specific than generic “sleep hygiene”. Medication decisions require medical assessment, especially because benefits and risks vary over time.